Health Care News and Research

RSS

Manila Bulletin reports on WHO's efforts to address migration of global health workers

The Manila Bulletin reports on how the WHO is working with countries that have high rates of migrating health workers to maintain and expand the health workforce in areas with the greatest need, expecially low-income rural communities.

13 Jul 2010

Texas doctors bristle at Medicaid cuts as Congress to consider extending funds; State pinpoints high prescribing docs

Despite states' warnings that they will face massive budget cuts without help from Washington, Congress has not yet moved to provide $24.2 billion in additional Medicaid funding that many statehouses had anticipated would be included in a failed June bill, American Medical News reports. "Lawmakers return to Washington from their Independence Day break on July 12, but Democratic leaders have not offered a clear path forward on the issue" (Trapp, 7/12).

13 Jul 2010

News outlets examine Haitian rebuilding effort six months after major quake

"Six months to the day since a magnitude-7.0 earthquake leveled 60% of [Port-Au-Prince's] buildings and killed 230,000 people, there are few visible signs of improvement," USA Today reports.

13 Jul 2010

U.S. lags in keeping workers safe from toxic drugs

In many countries, there are strict regulations and inspections regarding workers who handle chemotherapy drugs. "In the U.S., however, neither environmental monitoring nor exposure tracking is mandated. And neither is routinely taking place, said Tom Conner, a research biologist with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

13 Jul 2010

Seniors face unexpected medical bills amid disputes between hospitals and Medicare auditors

Elderly patients caught between U.S. hospitals and Medicare auditors pushing to cut costs are increasingly facing tens of thousands of dollars in unexpected medical bills.

13 Jul 2010

Wall Street Journal essay examines historical efforts to control malaria

In a Wall Street Journal essay, Sonia Shah, the author of an upcoming book on malaria, outlines the historical efforts to control malaria - from the Roman Empire through today.

13 Jul 2010

Governors press Washington for more help, Mass. municipalities seek new authority to cut health care plan costs

The National Governors Association, meeting in Boston, pressed Washington for more help to states. The "NGA renewed its bipartisan appeal for Congress to pass stalled jobs legislation. ... [Last month,] the House and Senate failed to complete legislation that would have extended, through June 2011, important parts of the federal stimulus program enacted last year to provide unemployment insurance and help offset recession-driven cuts to education, health care and public safety.

13 Jul 2010

Government report questions double use of CT scans at Illinois, Florida hospitals

Chicago Tribune: Doctors at Illinois hospitals are coming under closer scrutiny after a report questioned the use of "double CT scans," which subjected patients to higher radiation. For some procedures, doctors scanned once using a dye once and once without at a rate higher than in other states. "The hospital launched an investigation, and physicians began to focus on curbing use of the scans.

13 Jul 2010

Obesity crisis in the spotlight as FDA reviews weight loss drugs

The Washington Post explores the obesity epidemic by reporting from Manchester, Ky., which has an obesity rate as high as 52 percent in a nation where the obesity rate is 24 percent. "The residents of this town of 2,100 — 95 miles southeast of Lexington and deep in the Appalachian foothills — indeed appear to celebrate the joys of community closeness.

13 Jul 2010

BCN launches Healthy Blue Living Rewards to improve overall health

Introducing Healthy Blue Living Rewards, an extension of Blue Care Network's successful Healthy Blue Living product. This new product is an innovative outcome-based HMO health care plan that takes personal accountability to the next level by lowering insurance costs for people who succeed in improving their health and thereby making health care more affordable.

13 Jul 2010

Changes for employers, health insurers coming with health reform implementation

Starting in September, changes to health insurance could significantly alter how insurers operate and how employers provide coverage for workers.

13 Jul 2010

Obama administration prepares to announce first national HIV strategy

Kaiser Health News: "Federal officials plan to announce Tuesday a national strategy designed to ramp up and better coordinate the government's attack on the country's HIV/AIDS epidemic." Many HIV/AIDS advocates "say many more resources need to be committed to fight the disease, especially considering it doesn't get the attention it once did.

12 Jul 2010

AMA finds lobbying power eroding; Payment rates vary

Three months the health law passed, the American Medical Association is finding itself "itself with fewer friends on Capitol Hill and more critics questioning its lobbying savvy," Politico reports. "Its troubles couldn't come at a worse time: It is more dependent than ever on having allies in Congress, thanks to the growing number of Medicare patients.

12 Jul 2010

Hospitals in the news: ICU deaths higher on weekend, continuous improvement pays off in Seattle

"Patients admitted to an intensive care unit over the weekend may be more likely to die than those admitted at other times, perhaps because of reduced staffing, a review of research finds," HealthDay/USA Today reports. "For the review, published in the July issue of the journal Chest, researchers examined the results of 10 studies exploring the link between time of admission to an ICU and death rates.

12 Jul 2010

Administration plans to release new HIV/AIDS strategy this week

Kaiser Health News staff writer Kate Steadman reports: "Federal officials plan to announce Tuesday a national strategy designed to ramp up and better coordinate the government's attack on the country's HIV/AIDS epidemic, an effort to deliver on a Barack Obama campaign promise delayed by the health care overhaul debate and other issues" (Steadman, 7/12).

12 Jul 2010

healthychat.com addresses myriad consumer health care questions

Health care reform will impact every American in some way. The question is how and when? The healthychat.com website was created to address the many questions consumers have about health insurance. Since its launch on May 1, thousands have viewed healthychat.com, creating a community forum addressing myriad health care questions.

12 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Churchillian Berwick?; Government's obesity fight; WSJ on paying for health reform

In an ideal world, Berwick would be Medicare's Winston Churchill, a prophetic voice who emerges from the wilderness and ends years of appeasement and denial. He tells the truth about federal health care and medicine generally. It's no wonder the Obama administration didn't think the Senate could handle it (Jay Hancock, 7/11).

12 Jul 2010

OICR, CCO announce $6 million in funding for Health Services Research Program projects

Dr. Tom Hudson, President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), and Dr. Terrence Sullivan, President and CEO of Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), announce $6 million in funding for projects in the Health Services Research Program (HSRP). The HSRP, conducted jointly between the OICR and CCO, will improve the delivery of cancer care throughout the province.

12 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 12, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include previews of the expected release of a national strategy to curb the AIDS epidemic and reviews of a White House official's Sunday talk show defense of the Berwick nomination.

12 Jul 2010

Simple interventions by pediatricians change parent's perspective about child being overweight or obese

Some simple interventions used by pediatricians were enough to change a parent's perspective about a child's being overweight or obese, and change the parent's behaviors at home to reduce those risks.

12 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

Manila Bulletin reports on WHO's efforts to address migration of global health workers

Texas doctors bristle at Medicaid cuts as Congress to consider extending funds; State pinpoints high prescribing docs

News outlets examine Haitian rebuilding effort six months after major quake

U.S. lags in keeping workers safe from toxic drugs

Seniors face unexpected medical bills amid disputes between hospitals and Medicare auditors

Wall Street Journal essay examines historical efforts to control malaria

Governors press Washington for more help, Mass. municipalities seek new authority to cut health care plan costs

Government report questions double use of CT scans at Illinois, Florida hospitals

Obesity crisis in the spotlight as FDA reviews weight loss drugs

BCN launches Healthy Blue Living Rewards to improve overall health

Changes for employers, health insurers coming with health reform implementation

Obama administration prepares to announce first national HIV strategy

AMA finds lobbying power eroding; Payment rates vary

Hospitals in the news: ICU deaths higher on weekend, continuous improvement pays off in Seattle

Administration plans to release new HIV/AIDS strategy this week

healthychat.com addresses myriad consumer health care questions

Today's OpEds: Churchillian Berwick?; Government's obesity fight; WSJ on paying for health reform

OICR, CCO announce $6 million in funding for Health Services Research Program projects

First Edition: July 12, 2010

Simple interventions by pediatricians change parent's perspective about child being overweight or obese

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News